Welcome Home
by Chris000
Summary: A young man from Mobius sees that there is a world beyond his own that he needs to explore, and that this world holds the answers that he long seeks. Christopher Ashton knows that Earth is out there for him, but it is a place he knows nothing about. This is a story about finding your way in the world, making new friends, and learning where you truly belong.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **This story takes place within my crossover universe. Events here are different than those in the comic, but through this young man's eyes, I hope that you can see just how both sides fit in for this strange new world. Enjoy the story, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

* * *

Welcome Home  
a Story of Adventure and Beginning

By CRV

PROLOGUE

A Mobian leaving his home was rare enough. Usually people of this race were not known for leaving their hometowns. Sometimes though, a few brave individuals left to strike it out on their own. Perhaps they thought that they could make it in another land, so they left. Success and failure was something that was as varied for a Mobian as it was for any other person of any other race. Whether the individual in question chose to go home was a much more different matter.

A Mobian leaving his home was rare enough. A Mobian leaving his home to go to Earth was something different entirely. When a person expressed the desire to go to the Human homeworld that was recently linked through technology, friends and family narrowed their eyes and shook their head. Why would a Mobian ever want to leave Mobius to go to Earth? What did Earth have to offer them that their own world didn't?

Clearly for Christopher Ashton a young Mobian Labrador, this was a question that he was willing to answer. He grew up on the planet among people like him, but realized that his world was becoming too dangerous. He could see that the world would be plunged into fear ever since Robotnik decided to make himself known to this new universe at large. Ashton wanted a new beginning. He wanted adventure… and he wanted answers.

His parents and family had lived in Knothole, the 'Old City' for as long as they could remember. This was back way before it was turned into the capital that it was today. They thought that the Old City was the best place in the world for them. It was calm for centuries and had so much history in it. Ashton had a different visage in mind. He had read stories about a city on Earth that everyone always spoke about. It was everywhere, in books, movies, poems, and songs. A city called New York.

Ashton knew nothing of the city except for its name and a few old pictures. He knew very little of the planet of his ancestors. Earth was a world with so much history and promise, but his parents had been quick to point out the negative. His father in particular.

One night around the dinner table, he brought up the issue to his parents.

"Dad?"

"Son?" the tall, bulky and deep voiced man answered.

"I had a thought… I kind of want to take a break from Knothole."

His mother, who was a light furred Retriever, twitched her ear. "What's wrong with Knothole?"

Christopher shrugged. "I… I dunno. It's just, ever since last year, I just get the feeling that the world is so much bigger than it is. I… feel like there's a whole other world out there."

"You want to leave Knothole then, son?" his father determined. "Where would you go? What would you do?"

This was where Ashton was a bit nervous to tell his parents about his dream. But he decided to go ahead and tell them anyway. What did he have to lose?

Actually, everything.

"Actually…" He rolled his knuckles, "Actually, I was curious about Earth."

His mother's brow furrowed and her ears perked in curiosity. "Earth?"

"Why the _hell_ would you want to go there?" his father said suddenly.

Christopher was shocked. "I…"

"No, don't say anything." His father placed his elbow on the table and made eye contact with his son. "You're young. I can understand that. You might not be aware of what this place is about."

"Then what is it about?"

"I'll tell you what. I've done my homework. I learned all about how dangerous this planet was. You know that wars have been happening for over ten thousand years for the Humans? They've killed millions of their own over things like which religion is better, who has more resources, and frequent misunderstandings!"

"Sure, but that was ten thousand years ago!"

"They still fight. In World War II, they killed over 25 million people in one of their countries simply because one man told them to do it."

"But Dad!"

"And then they invented nuclear weapons. Then that's when things _really_ took off."

"You're only listing the bad!" Christopher shouted.

"Calm down!" his mother urged. "Both of you!"

"You hate them!" Ashton said, ignoring his mother.

"I _don't_ hate them." His father growled. "I don't want them influencing you."

"You mentioned only the bad things! You haven't told me anything positive."

"That's because Humans don't choose to do positives. They do what comes natural to them – imperialism, might is right, and excessive force to get what they desire. What have they done right?"

This time, Ashton had an answer. "Us." He said evenly.

His father then huffed and reclined in his chair. "Well…"

Christopher's mother laughed. "That's not fair though. We did everything ourselves."

"No." Ashton said. "It was because of their compassion that we are here at all. They could have chosen to have us exterminated or destroyed. They didn't though. They chose to help us. They gave us knowledge. They gave us civilization. What we did after that was our own decision."

His father remained silent.

"Our Humans were punished for something that they never did. They died because of something they couldn't control, had no knowledge of, and they didn't deserve it. They loved us, and don't you dare tell me otherwise."

Still, his father said nothing. His mother eyed her husband curiously, waiting for his response.

"I got an 'A' in Mobian History. I know my stuff. I remember back during the war, the Cobar Concentration Camp."

Suddenly, his mother snapped, "Don't mention that place at this table!"

"Oh, why not?"

"Because it's a horrible subject!"

"Because it makes us look bad."

"What happened in that camp is none of your business." His father said. "It was war. We had to do things we weren't proud of."

"And that makes us immune to criticism? We are no different than the Humans were. We have just as much potential for evil as they do. We are all regular people." Christopher took a breath. "I want to go. I have to know what this planet is like. I have to know about where our ancestors came from."

His father's voice was calm. He folded his arms. "No."

"I'm 23 years old; I should be able to go if I want to."

"Argue all you like with me. You aren't leaving this town, and you're not going to live with those Humans."

"Whether you like it or not, I will go." Christopher said standing up to leave.

Then he heard what his father said: "If you leave this house… If you go to Earth, you've left this place for good."

Maybe it was in haste, maybe he was coasting off his anger, but the young Mobian looked at his father and said, "Maybe that's for the best".

* * *

He thought the anger would have subsided. He thought that his father's reaction over this wouldn't have made such an impression on him, but for three weeks, he could barely stand to look at him. Even when he tried to talk to his son, Christopher stayed silent.

Unfortunately, his father stood by his words. He still refused to yield and allow the young man to leave. Every night, he sat in his room and looked at the moon. Every night he watched the broken chunks of the ancient rock slowly form a ring and wondered about the machine that existed in orbit around it. Ashton had only heard rumors about it and didn't know much about it. He heard it was something called the _Jumpgate_. Some of them called the _Warpgate_ as well. Whatever this thing was, it was the way that he would be able to get to Earth, somehow flung across the universes.

That gate was his portal to freedom and the knowledge he sought.

* * *

So he worked. He worked every single day to get as much money as he could to try and afford a one way ticket through. The weeks passed quickly for him as he tried to find jobs from people who would pay him for just about anything. As he counted his money every night, he wondered just how he would make it. He didn't know much about the money that Humans used, or what they bought or used in their lives. He wasn't even sure of what they ate. For all intents and purposes, they were aliens to him.

He had seen a few of them around Knothole though. Usually though they weren't regular people like him. They wore uniforms. They were probably military, or scientists, or perhaps they worked for another larger group. Either way, they didn't seem like the ordinary folk. A couple of times Ashton had tried to work up the courage to speak to one of them, but they always seemed to be going somewhere.

_Going somewhere_. He thought. _That seems to sum up Humans pretty well_.

They always had somewhere to be, someone to report to, some place they needed to be by a certain time. Ashton wished that they just slowed down to enjoy the beautiful things in life like the world around them. Then a horrifying thought hit him. Perhaps they didn't stop to admire the beauty because there _was no beauty on Earth_?

This was the first time that he began to second-guess his desire to go to Earth. He had been so sure at this point. Maybe he had been wrong. Ashton had refused to hear very much about their home planet simply because he wanted it to be a surprise for him to see. He only had old pictures in his room. Three of his favorites were photos of buildings that apparently existed a long time ago. There was one picture of a group of Human construction workers sitting down on a metal beam to have lunch, but they were dangling high above the ground without fear! That one was dated 1932 – _over 1300 years ago_. The second was a photo of a beautiful tower he didn't know the name of. It curved from a square base to a point at the top where a flag furled in the sky. The only thing on the photo that gave reference was 'Paris, 1951'. The second one was probably the most beautiful. The last one was his personal favorite. It was a picture of a seaside city that shot buildings into the air. Traffic on both the ground and the air glowed with lights. The caption read 'Chicago, 2111'.

These cities were very beautiful, but his fear crept in. What if these beautiful places didn't exist anymore? There was no way to tell trapped here. It had been a very long time since the construction picture had been taken – it was completely in black and white! Where was this city? Was it still there?

He had to know these answers. He had to leave soon before he went crazy.

* * *

After a few more days, Christopher's father began to talk to him again in full sentences, and had noted that he had been working hard. He walked up the house's stairs to his room.

"Do you have a moment?" He asked knocking on his bedroom door.

"Sure." The young Mobian said, leaning up from his calculations.

"Look, I know you've been working hard. I thought that your whole dream was just a spur of the moment kind of thing." He walked inside and placed his hands in his pockets. "How are you doing? Cash wise, I mean?"

Ashton's ear twitched and he arced his eyebrows. "Oh!" He said, caught by surprise. He checked his figures. "With that last job that I finished up, after taxes of course, I should be up about 10,000 Mobiums! Think I may be able to afford that ticket after all!"

"Well, you see, Christopher, that's what I'm here to talk to you about." He had a seat on his son's bed. "I don't want to say it in front of your mother, but you got me good back there. You were right, about mentioning Cobar. The Great War was… well, it wasn't pretty. You with your 'A' in History would know that much. Maybe I'm a bit insecure that there's a new group of people we know nothing about that look just like our enemies. Can you understand that? Just look at it from where I'm sitting. The first day I saw those Humans, I thought the war was back on." He shrugged and made eye contact. "I was scared."

"You told me you never got scared." Christopher said.

"Yeah, well sometimes your old man can be wrong sometime." Mr. Ashton cleared his throat. "Hey, It's not that I'm worried about you going… I'm afraid you'll never come back."

Christopher turned around fully to meet his father. "Dad, why didn't you say so?"

"I was angry that you wanted to leave. It almost as if I thought you believed we weren't good enough for you."

"You know it's not like that. I love you and mom so much. But…" He pointed to the moon. "I have so many questions that need to be answered, and the answers…" He emphasized with his finger, "Are on the other side of that gate. I just have to go."

His father smiled. "You know, I was wrong for wanting to keep that explorer spirit down. You have time for a quick story?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

His father dug back into his mind and said, "Back when I was a kid, before the War, before the fleeing, and before the danger, we lived in peace more or less. Things… they got too crowded in Mobotropolis. They were too familiar for me. I wanted a breath of fresh air… see the world, you know? My father wasn't fond of the idea. He said, 'Why would you ever want to leave when we have everything we could possibly need right here?' So, funny enough, I told him that I wanted to go anyway, and you know what he said?"

"What?" The younger Ashton asked.

"He said, 'Murray, there are insane highwaymen that are out there! They'll take your money and leave you for dead without a second thought'. Naturally, I thought this was a stupid reason, and I told him that. He said that I was being ungrateful and that I wasn't appreciative for the roof over my head, and we stopped talking for two months."

"Two _months_?" The young Lab repeated in wonder.

His father moved his hand in a waving way. "Two months. Walked right by one another. Finally, one day, he came to me. You know what he said? He said the same thing I'm about to say to you." He put his hand in his pocket.

"That was dumb of me. I was trying to make excuses to get you to stay, but I know that there's no good in keeping a tried and true adventurer down. You're an Ashton, boy! Our Human Namesakes were among the first to map this great countryside! They taught your ancestors their ways! Your great grandfather led an expedition through the Great Desert! Your grandfather was one of the King's most respected scouts! I went and saw the world. And you…" He handed his son a slip of official looking paper. "You son, are going to keep that tradition up."

Christopher looked at the paper. It was a travel booking! It was a ticket! A ticket off Mobius and through the gate! To Earth! To _New York City!_"

"Dad… I…" He looked at his father and sprouted a smile from ear to ear. "…I guess I'm going on an adventure!"

His father smiled back and hugged him tight. "Just don't go away forever, kiddo."

"I promise pop."

"Oh, and one more thing?"

"Name it!"

"Just… erm… don't tell your mother I caved."

They both laughed merrily as the stars awaited above.


	2. Chapter 1: Earthbound

Chapter 1: Earthbound

Christopher stared out the window of the moving bus with his suitcase tucked beneath his seat. He was dressed in an outfit that almost seemed like he was about to go into the arctic. Long sleeved shirt, cargo pants, and insulated shoes. He had once read that the place he was heading to was cooler a large part of the year. Down here in Knothole, Ashton was much more used to warmer temperatures. Now that he was leaving and heading for a place he knew nothing about, he wasn't exactly sure what to expect.

But there was a sense of pride within him that wasn't there before. It was a feeling of true independence that was a sign of maturity. He was going away on his own. He was becoming more of an adult. There was also something else that he hadn't accounted for before. In leaving Mobius, he would be a first in his family. Ever since his Namesakes taught his ancestors how to explore, none of them had ever gone to another planet.

He smiled when he thought of that. _An Ashton in Space._

_ An Astro-Ashton!_

He giggled out loud.

His parents were sitting next to him. They wanted to come along to see him off, and nothing would make him happier.

His mother spoke to him, "Haven't seen a smile like that in a little while!"

"I'm just thinking."

"What about?" His mother asked.

"Well, what am I going to see? Everything I know about Earth… well, I got it out of the history books."

"Well, maybe you'll be one of the first that can put something in again. Write stories about what you find and tell people about it. You know, you'd make a great historian."

"You think so?"

"We know so." His father said clapping him on the shoulder. "You've got promise kid." He looked out the window to see the approaching airport. "Maybe this is what you need."

The bus pulled in front of the airport ten minutes later. All of the passengers shuffled off. Ashton got up and noticed that a very small percentage of those leaving for flights were Human. Not very many Mobians at all were among them. Those that were leaving were dressed in suits and ties mostly. Some others wore military uniforms.

Christopher looked at the soldiers. They weren't wearing the uniforms of the Royal Armed Forces. These men and women wore different colors. They were olive colored coats with matching cargos with black polished boots. On their shoulders , an eagle, or a bird of some sort spread its arms upwards with the letters 'UNSC' engraved beneath it.

"Dad, what's that? I've never seen soldiers like those before."

Murray sized them up. "Oh, I've heard about them. They may be Mobian, but they fight for the Humans. They call them the UNSC. United Nations something or whatever."

They exited the bus, but Christopher's eyes were still locked on the soldiers. "They came from the ship above, right?"

"Well, the Humans did, son. That was their ship. These people have been recruited by them. They're going to train somewhere else."

"You don't sound very impressed." Ashton noted.

"It may seem that way." His father answered. "I respect soldiers. I was in the Great War, kiddo. But, we're probably never going to see these men and women again."

"They're going to die, aren't they?"

"There's always the chance, but that's not what I mean. I heard the Humans live on more than one planet. They're probably headed for one of the others far away."

Ashton's mouth dropped. "More than one planet? How is that possible?"

"I don't know son. But they've managed to do it somehow."

Ashton's mother smiled at him. "Maybe if you're lucky you'll get to go to another one of their worlds. Wouldn't that be something?"

Murray chuckled. "Give the boy some time, dear. He has to get used to Earth first."

The inside of the airport was slightly more populous than usual. Knothole International was built fifty years ago and had always been a place to get from one big city to another. During the Great War, the airport was used as a military base where fighters would land and launch. Even a few small air and space ships docked here. In the far fields, Ashton could make out the shapes of the Flak Cannons that stood guard over the airstrip. In the closing days of the war, Mobius International was under constant threat by Overlander aircraft. The Flak Cannons were there to protect the aviators and civilians who were using the base as protection.

After the War ended in '24, plans to take them down were spoken about. After Kintobor's coup a year later though… well, they found new purpose. They now served as the second line of defense for Knothole.

The family had to fight through the crowd to reach the desk where Ashton could redeem his ticket. The main floor was crowded with Humans in suits and uniforms speaking to each other or through phones. Ashton never really got the chance to listen to how Humans really _spoke_ ever since they arrived on Mobius. So, he actually stopped to listen to a few of them, taking in their speech.

One dressed in a uniform was talking to a friend of his. "So, where you heading after this?"

His friend said, "I'm probably going to stay on L5 for a few days to wait for the layover."

"A few days? Where are you going?"

"Outbound."

"Dude, that's 14,000 lightyears away!"

"Like I said, a few days of layover until the ship docks. It left about a month ago."

Ashton listen to another man, a tall Human wearing a black suit and red tie. He held a phone of some sort on his ear. "Listen, listen, you don't understand. I need to be on the first flight out of here to get back to Beijing! Yeah, I know that there's a small delay, but there are people that need to get this economic data! What do you mean there's nothing you can do?" He muttered something in a language he didn't recognize. "Well, is there _anything_ you can do? Priority Flight? A direct connection? No stopping? Alright, I'll take it. WHAT?! 15,000?!"

Christopher changed Humans before it got ugly. The last pair was different.

"Ze gowz a maihom." A young woman said to who Ashton assumed was her boyfriend.

"Mmm, maihom etta ben; ze hem centant a'em. Mobius... ah, et netta maihom. Et different."

"Ya'ho, dem decca a Earth. Ze gow Paris." The young woman said with a dreamy expression.

"All a'e du." They kissed and laughed sweetly.

Ashton noted how differently all of these people were. The soldiers seemed like real people, not like robots like he read in his books. The people wearing suits must be businessmen or politicians. The Humans sounded the exact same as his own people did. The couple on the other hand certainly _looked_ Human but they spoke like aliens. Ashton knew little about languages, but he must have assumed that they were from a completely different place than the others. He wondered if people on Earth only spoke English or if they had many languages. He recognized the place the lady mentioned. She called it 'Paree', but Ashton remembered the picture he packed. It must have been the same place.

His father noted his son's thoughtful expression. "Hear anything interesting? With these ears I'd be disappointed if you didn't!"

"They all sound different." Christopher said. "They all sound unique. Just like us."

"I agree." His father said.

"Are you two eavesdropping?" Ashton's mother said. "You know that's not polite!"

Murray chuckled. "Don't worry about it, precious. We're only doing some analysis."

Mrs. Ashton growled slightly. "Can you analyze without invading privacy?"

"Alright, alright, dear." The Mobian acknowledged.

The line to the ticket counter moved slowly but surely. Ashton glanced at his watch to make sure he was on time. He gulped seeing that he was only half an hour from take-off time. He hoped the line would hurry up. Five minutes later, he got his wish. Another table had opened up further down the hall. The line halved in length, and he was at the front before he knew it.

The ticket taker was also a Mobian. She was a sweet looking fox with deep brown fur and similarly colored hair tied in a single ponytail. One of her ears was pierced and she wore a smart coat and skirt. She spoke in the accent of the area. She was a native, unlike his family.

"Good morning! How can I help you?"

She was cute.

"Um, hello." Ashton smiled. "I… uh, I'm here to redeem this ticket for a boarding pass?"

"Well, I can take that for you." She said. Christopher handed over the slip of paper and she looked it over. "Well well! Heading to Earth, aren't ya?"

Ashton nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to spend some time there."

The attendant printed out the pass. "You're the first Mobian _I've_ had that's leaving the planet." She glanced at his parents. "Are you going as well?"

The Ashton parents shook their heads. "Just junior." His father said patting his shoulder. "Big fella can't wait to be on his own!"

The attendant smiled sweetly and passed the young man his pass. "Remember to come back every now and again!" she advised. "You don't want to leave your parents worried!"

"Wise words from a wise young lady." Ashton's mother said.

Christopher took his pass. "Thanks."

"Any time! Have fun!"

The family left the line and headed towards the terminal. "You should have gotten her number, son." His father said. "She was a keeper. I can tell."

"Dad!"

"Just an old man rambling. Just ignore me, son!"

Ashton looked at his father as they passed into the first terminal. "I'm going to miss you both, you know that?"

"We do." His mother said. "And we're going to miss you even more."

"I felt homesick for a month when I left for the first time." Murray told his boy. "Remember, we're just a letter away. I'm sure you could even call us somehow."

"How?" Ashton asked his father.

"That's for you to find out I guess."

The terminal was filled with many Humans sitting and standing alike. Military and government personnel comprised the greatest number, but a few people in plain clothes like him stood around. Even better! He found a Mobian just like him in one of the corners. He didn't even seem much older than he was!

His parents noticed him too. "You have someone to talk to!" his mother smiled.

"_Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! This is a boarding call for Shuttle 43 departing for Earth in 15 minutes. This is the first boarding call for passengers of Shuttle 43_."

Suddenly, his mother started to become upset. "I guess this is it, isn't it?"

"Better get onboard, son." Murray nodded, bringing his wife close. "Don't want to be late."

Ashton looked at his parents and wiped his eyes. He didn't want to get emotional right before he left, but a few tears managed to escape. He waved one last time. "I love you guys."

"We love you too, son."

"Be sure to write us ever week!" His mother called.

"I will." He turned to walk."

"Eat three times a day!" She called again.

"I won't forget!" Ashton said walking a bit faster.

"Don't talk to strangers!"

"OK!"

"Change your underwear every other day!"

A Human near him started laughing into his hand.

"Good_bye_ ma!" Shaking his head playfully he looked over his shoulder and waved one last time to his parents before walking through the last door to the boarding tunnel. When he crossed that threshold, and when he no longer saw them, Christopher Ashton realized that for the first time, he was truly on his own.

* * *

A Human female stood before him dressed in a different outfit than the girl at the front desk. She eyed him and raised her eyebrow while giving a warm smile. "Good morning!"

"Hello." Ashton said politely. "I'm… um… here to board?"

"Absolutely. You have your pass?"

The young man nodded and handed the Human his slip. She took it and looked it over, making sure that it was fully authorized. She took a scanner and ran it over the sheet. The beam glowed blue, but several symbols stood out when she ran it over with the device.

"What are you doing?" Ashton asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I'm just making sure that this is an authentic ticket." She explained.

"The airport doesn't usually do this with other tickets."

"Well," She explained "this isn't just an ordinary ticket. This is a ticket that will get you through the jumpgate. Because of the flight being the nature that it is, we want to make sure that everyone is accounted for and has proper authorization. The ticket is essentially your pass and a liability waiver at the same time."

Ashton gulped. "A… a liability waiver for what, exactly?"

"Aw, don't worry about it, you'll be just fine during the flight." The scanner glowed green.

"_Authorized_." It droned in a monotone voice.

"Looks like that's settled. Make your way on and find a seat. We'll be departing soon." The attendant smiled again and handed back the authorized pass. Ashton noticed that a certain part of the ticket was suddenly visible. A code along the bottom of the sheet was now present in bright red. He was curious about it. The scanner must have made it visible.

_Cool_! He thought to himself.

The Mobian didn't want to hold up the line and moved along down the tunnel. He took a single gentle turn and found himself looking into a craft he was not familiar with: the Human shuttle!

This was it. This was the thing that would bring him away from this world and to another. He could just see into it now. There were blinking lights, computer screens, and out of one corner, he could see two men looking over controls – the pilots no doubt. He stepped inside and looked around.

It looked like an airplane to be honest. Rows of seats stretched to the back of the shuttle. A stewardess with bright blond hair in a tight bun stood waving towards him. He was one of the first aboard as he saw a few men already in their seats.

He talked to the stewardess. "Excuse me, miss?" she nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm looking for my seat?"

She looked at his ticket. "Looks like your lucky day! You have the window seat a row behind me!"

Ashton wagged his tail. He loved window seats. Perhaps it was a dog thing, but he was always looking at things fly by whenever he took long car rides. He found his seat and took it immediately. Ashton searched frantically out the window looking for his folks. He tried to find them in the terminal windows, but sadly couldn't find them. He still tried anyway. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see who it was. His ears perked in relief. It was the Mobian he saw in the boarding lounge. It was a male raccoon scarcely younger than he was with short black hair. He wore a short-sleeved shirt with jeans. He looked better dressed for Knothole than Earth. But then again, Ashton had no idea what the climate was.

"Hey, I saw you earlier!" He said with a smile. "Good to see another furry on this flight."

Ashton noted the casual use of the slur. If anybody but a Mobian called him that, he would feel much more offended.

"Yeah, likewise." He extended his hand. "Chris Ashton."

"Alistair Ibkis." The raccoon said accepting the hand. "Can't believe we're finally here, huh?"

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Ashton responded, suddenly grateful for someone to talk to. "Where are you off to?"

"Dunno."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Ashton wondered.

Ibkis shrugged. "I'm kind of the free-spirited type."

Ashton suddenly chuckled. "Fan of the Blue Blur, huh?"

Ibkis returned the laughter. "No way, how could you tell?"

It was no secret that every other kid in Knothole looked to the local superhero Sonic the Hedgehog as their inspiration. Sonic represented everything that was right with the world, especially in the time of darkness that engulfed their world. He was the symbol of hope that everyone wanted to look up to, especially the younger Mobians. Even though he was older than Sonic, Ashton was always an inspiration to him. Last anybody ever heard, he was out exploring in space.

"Just call it a hunch. You think he's out there?"

"Sure!" Ibkis said. "This is the ultimate definition of freedom!" He held his hand out in front of him. "Infinite universe, thousands of planets, and somewhere out there, the Hero of Mobius is out exploring the galaxy!"

"Well, I wish you luck then. You still need money to explore."

"Oh sure." The raccoon leaned back in his chair. "I've already got a cousin in a city called Toronto. It's in Canada!"

Ashton sat a bit straighter. "Whoa… you mean like Nova Kanada?"

Alistair shook his hands. "No, no, no! They're actually supposed to be _really nice_ there!"

Ashton stare into space and raised his eyebrows. "Huh. Imagine that."

"So, where are you off to, Chris?"

"Call me Ashton. I'm heading to New York."

"Wow. I hear they call that place the Big Apple!"

"Hang on… I thought that's what Sonic called that big city up north. Megaopolis, or something?"

"Really? That's weird."

"_Attention passengers. Before we take off, we'd like to go over some safety procedures with you_!" the intercom suddenly come on and broke the conversation between Ashton and Alistair. The two hadn't even noticed that the rest of the passengers had filed in and sat down. Now the shuttle was full.

"_There are six exits located on the side of the craft that are illuminated in the event of an emergency and/or power failure. Please make note of where the exits are_."

Ashton looked around and saw that there was a door not three rows behind him. He made a mental note on it in case of a problem. A problem that he was sure would never happen, of course.

"_In the event of a water splashdown, please make sure that you are in possession of a floatation device underneath your seat_." The stewardess placed one on herself to demonstrate. It looked like a tight fitting life preserver that you wore around your neck.

"_In the event of splashdown, the device will automatically inflate. A light and transmitter are also automatically activated on contact with water._" The attendant then got out a different device. This one looked like a mask. It had built on goggles and what looked like earmuffs of sorts. Ashton was confused by this and then noted that neither his nor Alistair's ears fit.

"_In the event of a hull breach or loss of pressure midflight, masks will be deployed for passengers while we attempt to fix the breach and equalize pressure. Please ensure that the mask is fastened tightly over the face and ensure that there is air flow in the tube. Do not be alarmed if the tube does not fully inflate as air may be flowing through anyway._"

"Dude…" Alistair noted, starting to look a bit nervous. "Dude, the masks don't fit us."

"It's alright."

"Yeah, _now_ it's alright, but not when there's a crack in the hull three feet wide!" He hissed in a low whisper. "What then?"

"That won't happen." Ashton assured. He hadn't even thought of the possibility before his friend mentioned it. He pointed to a few Mobian Marines near the back of the shuttle. "Those soldiers aren't bothered by it."

"Well those soldiers probably were selected not being afraid of vacuum!"

"You know something; I'm amazed that a guy who wants to explore space is terrified of space."

"Watched too many bad movies."

Ashton decided to curb the young man's fears. "Excuse me, miss? Are there a few masks designed for us?"

The stewardess nodded, but held up a finger. _One second, please_.

"_At seventy thousand feet, we will require all passengers to place acceleration bracers on themselves for the final climb to orbit_." Once again, the attendant demonstrated with her own seat. "_With all of this in mind, we wish you a very happy flight. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight aboard Shuttle D547! See you all Earthbound._"

The attendant then got what Ashton had asked for. Two Mobian masks were passed out to them. They were slightly different than those built into the shuttle's stock design. It was understandable though, and Ashton didn't mind. He stowed the bag under his seat while Alistair tested his. Satisfied, the raccoon then followed suit. "Looks like we're taking off now!" He pointed out the window. People were directing the shuttle to wheel back.

Ashton was wondering if they would take off like a jet, but was surprised when the shuttle started to rise on the spot. They were hovering above the ground. He was incredibly excited all of a sudden to be seeing something so different. "Look Alistair! We're hovering! Look at that!"

Soon they were five hundred feet above the ground – well over the height of the terminal. The shuttle started to turn in the air, and then sudden acceleration pounded them like a punch. They blasted away from the ground at such speed that Christopher quickly lost view of Knothole.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Ashton stood at a large window watching the craft rocket away from the ground. It slowly became a speck in the sky. Mrs. Ashton began to wipe her eyes.

"Katherine, what's wrong?" Murray asked.

"Do you think he saw us waving at him?"

"I'm sure he did, dear."

"I just wanted to say goodbye one more time."

"I know, I know."

"Murray, he's our only child!"

Her husband rubbed her hair. "I know, sweetheart. I know. But he'll be alright. He's an Ashton. He's an explorer, and we have no business keeping him from that."

"Murray… is your child leaving… a sign that you're growing old?"

"No, baby." Her husband laughed. He held her warmly, smiled, and said, "It's a sign that we're _free_!"

She gave him that look.

"What?"

"Our son is gone, and all you can do is make jokes?"

"He's not gone forever, Kath. He's a survivor. Be happy. Our boy's becoming a real man, and I am damn proud of him."

He hugged his wife and looked at the sky. A bright star was rising into the sky. "Aurora give you speed kiddo."

* * *

Ashton had been on a plane before, but none of them had ever gone this high. They were above the cloud layer, and he could see the sky slowly becoming a dark blue.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching the 70,000 foot mark. We are advising all passengers to prepare their bracers for second stage ascension. We will announce again in one minute._"

Ashton and Alistair quickly folded down a bracer of sorts that helped cushion them against the seat. It kind of felt like a roller coaster. He was sure he was going to be feeling a bit more than the usual 'stomach drop' sensation. Alistair was clipped in and so was he. He felt almost suspended in his chair. He was going to need that floating feeling.

"_Hang on everyone! Here we go_!" the pilots called.

Suddenly, a wave of acceleration pressed into him that he had never felt before. It was speed that was so alien to him that Ashton couldn't comprehend it. For the briefest of seconds, he wondered if this was how Sonic felt to have acceleration. No, Ashton realized it. This wasn't what Sonic felt. Sonic wasn't subject to the acceleration. Sonic _was_ the acceleration.

They were going much faster. He tried to raise his head to look, but he couldn't. The acceleration was pushing him into his seat. His teeth were chattering and the corners of his vision were starting to black out. He wasn't prepared for this, but was giddy out of his mind.

Alistair was likewise enjoying the experience. The raccoon had his eyes wide open and was laughing heartily.

The sky turned black quickly and stars started to appear.

_Stars! That means that we're in space!_

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we are now in low orbit around Mobius. We will be adjusting our trajectory to take us around the planet. In the meantime, we will be giving you a wonderful sight_!" The pilots rolled the craft over. Ashton looked out the window and saw a flash of blue. He couldn't see it all that well as it moved so quickly.

Then they stopped. The acceleration was gone. He noticed that the tips of his sleeves were floating. Floating!

"Dude!" Ashton called to Alistair. "Look at this!" He pointed out his sleeves and his shoelaces.

"We've got to be astronauts now!" Ibkis responded. "I'm disappointed. I thought there was artificial gravity."

"Maybe they didn't turn it on."

"Yeah, maybe."

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be making the above panels transparent. If you would like a view of Mobius, here's your chance._"

The panels seemed to disappear before them. Ashton had a momentary bout of shock, but all that disappeared when he saw the beautiful sight of his home 'above' them.

It was a sight beyond true description. Mobius was a radiant blue ball of oceans with streaks of white clouds and patches of green land. All of it was floating in silence. Ashton realized with sadness that this would be the last time he would see his home in a while. His parents and friends were down there somewhere. He would be leaving them all behind. For some reason that brought a tear to his eye. The droplet floated free and hung there in the air. Ashton chuckled, but wiped it away before Alistair noticed.

"Sure makes you look pretty small, huh?" the other Mobian said.

"Yeah, it sure does."

"Just think, we're going to see thousands of worlds eventually."

Alistair was right. Ashton was feeling very small right now. Kind of insignificant compared to the large world above him. At the same time, he felt strangely at peace as well. But then even Mobius started to leave him behind. They had begun their departure.

"_We've reached perapsis and we're firing our main engines now. Stand by_."

A rumbling was felt through the whole ship for about five second, silence yet again. There was no point in looking out the window any longer. Mobius was gone as soon as it was there. Now, the ship was pointed towards the moon. The engines were cut and he was floating yet again.

"What happened?" Ashton asked.

"I don't know. Feels like we're not even moving."

A man next to him put down his datapad. "We're heading towards the moon."

"Excuse me?" Alistair asked.

"Look." He tapped a button on his screen. "See this?" A holographic screen popped up and showed two circles. Mobius and the Moon. Ashton noted that the computer didn't show that the moon was broken. Ashton was sure that it was only an oversight though. A hoop of some sort was connecting Mobius and the moon. "This is our orbit, okay? This will take us to the jumpgate."

"Oh." Ashton said, understanding. "Orbits. Right."

"Well, how long should it take to get there?"

The Human shrugged and pouted his lips in thought. "Ah, not long. Maybe an hour or two."

"Wow. That's fast."

"You bet. Just try to keep it down for the rest of the flight. Alright, guys?"

"Sure. No problem." Ashton nodded. "We'll keep ourselves busy."

"Actually." Alistair said. "Speaking of busy, I'll be right back." He unclipped his seat belt and tried to get up. The raccoon's head accidentally hit the seat in front of him. He recoiled in zero gravity. He was obviously not expecting that."

"Ouch!" he said, rubbing his forehead. "That was weird!"

"Hey watch it!" A soldier said in the seat said to him. "I'm trying to watch the news!"

"Sorry, man." Ibkis said. Alistair put his hand above him to brace himself on the ceiling. "Where do you think the bathroom is?"

"Probably in the back." Ashton said shrugging.

"OK. OK, I can do this." Alistair said with a toothy smile. "Man, this is weird!" He found handholds in the ceiling and used them to even his way into the central row. "Hey, you should try this." He said to his friend.

"Nah, I'm fine here."

Alistair huffed and pulled himself towards the rear of the craft, reveling in weightlessness.

Ashton on the other hand just looked out the window towards the stars. He had never seen so many out here before. He touched the window and discovered that it was ghostly cold. It was thicker than it seemed as he knocked on it. It was some sort of plastic or maybe even transparent metal. Farther away, he could make out a bright light that was closer than the stars. Then he focused and saw that it was a ship! He could barely make out the shape. It wasn't Mobian. It must have been a Human ship. It had writing on the hull, but Ashton couldn't read it. He wondered what the ship was here for, who was on it, and where it came from.

He didn't notice that Alistair had quietly sat down in the chair.

"Well that was fast." He noted.

"I… uh… I didn't go."

"What do you mean 'I didn't go'?"

"I just saw the no-gravity bathroom. I… think I can hold it."

Within the hour, the shuttle coasted up to the moon. Ashton didn't even see it until the pilots announced it. It seemed that the moon was just catching them and putting them into its own orbit. The shuttle was coasting not far from the surface. Christopher held his breath as he saw the craters that had been peppered throughout the surface. Nobody he had ever known had seen the moon this close. He could see craters miles wide that had been carved by ancient rocks. He also knew that down there, there were hulks of Overlander spaceships from the Great War.

They called it the Moon Theater. This was where Mobius' space navy earned their wings. It was here that some major battles were fought and nobody knew about it. The Overlanders had wanted the moon to be their listening outpost. Some thought that they were establishing weapons emplacements on the moon and would launch them at the planet given the chance. The Royals would see to it that this wouldn't happen. So, a six month campaign was waged here in the skies above this dead, broken rock.

Funny. Nobody was really sure how it was broken in the first place.

Ah yes, he saw it! There was a streak on the Lunar soil that looked like something had crashed there. The black streak looked like it travelled for miles after bouncing a few times. He wasn't sure if it was Mobian or Human though.

Before he could make a further observation, the ship rocked. A few people yelped in surprise.

"Whoa!"

"What the _hell_?!"

Alistair jumped with a start. "What was that?"

"_Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We're entering a small debris field. We're going to stay clear from the large pieces, but it looks like some small pieces are playing ping pong with is. Don't worry. Shields are up, so we're able to deflect them just fine._"

That didn't help Alistair, who was uncomfortably drumming his fingers on the chair arm.

Ashton was also a bit nervous. Though he trusted the pilots.

A few more bumps came their way. The stewardess reminded everyone to keep their belts and bracers tight. Twenty minutes later, the bumping stopped.

"Finally." Alistair breathed. He was pretty much voicing the thoughts of everyone aboard.

"_Alright everyone. We're on final approach to the jumpgate. It's been adjusted to our flight path. We'll be hitting it in 30 seconds._"

Ashton wasn't sure what to expect from this. He had heard stories about the Jumpgate, but wasn't sure what would happen when they crossed the threshold. He activated the screen on his seat and saw that it was shaped like a circle or rounded square. It pulsed with blue energy. There was also a countdown timer to when they meet it. They would hit it in 13 seconds.

"_Ten seconds to aperture_."

_Oh man, this is going to be weird._

"_Five seconds to aperture._"

_Well, here we go_.

"_Three. Two. One._"

The black space suddenly turned white, blindly white. Ashton had been looking outside trying to spot the Jumpgate, but he never saw it. He had just gone from black to white. He couldn't see anything, and averted his eyes.

"What do you see?" Alistair asked.

"Nothing. There's nothing at all!" Christopher noted.

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think we're… anywhere." He suddenly had a shot of pain move through his head. "Augh. Feels like I got a migraine!"

"Yeah, I feel it too." Ibkis said. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"_We are aware that we are taking on Mobian passengers today. Do not be alarmed with dizziness or sickeness. This is a completely normal reaction and will subside momentarily. Stand by. Approaching exit aperture now._"

* * *

Ashton counted down ten more seconds, and then it was gone. The blackness had returned. The stars were back. The moon was outside his window, but when he looked outside, his jaw dropped. There was no debris field – the moon was whole. Ashton looked to the surface and saw _lights_! He saw lights spread across the Lunar ground. He saw _buildings_! He saw _vehicles_ move through the air. He saw a city!

"Alistair! Look at this!"

The raccoon clamored over to see. "Sweet Jesus." He whispered. "There are cities down there!"

"We must have done it! We're here!"

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to bid you welcome to the Sol System. Local universal time is 11:45 AM. Today is March 15, 3235. Below us is the city of Armstrong, population 11 million. Temperatures are a balmy -57 degrees Celsius on the surface._"

A round of laughs came through the cabin as men and women found the joke humorous. Ashton and Ibkis joined them.

"_Alright. Looks like our exit aperture will slingshot us straight to the planet. We'll be coasting for the rest of our flight._"

Ashton hoped that the pilot would tilt he ship so that he could get a view of the world. Until then, he looked at the moon. He saw tall buildings, small ones, and even domes where he saw green under them. He was amazed. People were living on the moon and in large numbers! Twenty minutes later, the ship started to drift away. Ashton tried to stay with Armstrong, but the city rotated out of his view. Now, he looked forward. He was taken by surprise when he noticed that the pilot had made the panels transparent again. That's when he saw the planet.

It was still far away, but the sun was rising behind it. A blue ball that glowed in space. On the dark side, there were lights that he could see even from here. Cities larger than those on the moon. His mouth went dry and his ears perked. He would wag his tail in excitement, but it was tucked by his side.

_We made it_. He said in his head. _We're here. We're actually here!_

He turned to Alistair, but he was transfixed by the ball. His eyes were wide and his eyes were deep and dark. "It… looks just like Mobius!"

"It's… wow…"

The two didn't say anything as they watched the ball come closer and closer. The ball became larger and larger. The shuttle turned again to position the Earth below them. Ashton looked out over the horizon of the sea. The sun reflected off the water beautifully. Clouds banded above the sea in fluffy white clumps.

"_Attention passengers, we'll be docking at Rassalov station momentarily. From there, there are additional shuttles to ferry you down to the surface_."

"We're not landing on the planet?" Ashton said, suddenly disappointed. "Aw man."

The man in the seat next to them said, "Don't worry kid. There are shuttles that come and go all the time. You don't need tickets for that."

Ashton nodded in appreciation, but then brought his eyes back to the window. Ibkis was just as focused as he was. Something was visible out in the distance. It looked like a ribbon of some sort.

"What was that?" Christopher asked. "Looks like a ribbon!"

"I dunno." Alistair said."Maybe a tower or something."

"That's impossible! You can't make a tower that big!"

"Humans man. I guess anything's possible now."

Rassalov station appeared shortly after. It was a large station that was a collection of modules, prefabricated structures, tubes, docked ships, and many shining lights. It was a city in space, and right next to Earth!"

Alistair scratched his head. "Why would the Humans need a city in space when there's plenty of places on Earth?"

"Why would they build on the moon? I guess Humans need to explore and build."

"That's not always a good thing Ashton."

"You're right. But keep it to yourself for now."

"Sure. No problem."

"_Docking procedures to commence immediately. Please remain seated while we dock with the station_."

The shuttle's speed constantly got lower. Rassalov Station grew from the size of a toy to something so big that it seemed to dwarf the shuttle. Ashton tried to grasp the size of the station and the planet behind it, but found his mind wanting in response. The closer he got, he saw dozens of smaller ships swarm the station, all of them going somewhere important. One barreled straight towards Earth at high speed.

Rassalov station extended an arm outwards that pulsed green. This had to be where they were landing. Puffs of braking pushed the young Mobian forward until they weren't moving at all. The holographic panel showed that the shuttle was now in an orbit identical to the station. It was fascinating stuff.

Then he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed off. He sunk into his seat. He _fell_.

"_The station's artificial gravity field has linked with ours. You should now be feeling normal_."

Alistair held his arm up and let it go limp. It fell into his lap as if it would on Mobius. "Huh. Well look at that! Looks like it works after all!"

_CLANG!_

The ship rocked.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Rassalov Station! Ambient temperature is 24 degrees Celsius; station time is 10:40 AM. Shuttles to the surface depart every 45 minutes. Please ensure that you gather all of your bags from the overhead bins and underneath your seats. Once again, we thank you for flying on Shuttle 43 from Mobius to Earth! Enjoy your stay and have a nice day!_"

* * *

Ashton stood up, all smiles from the trip. He grabbed his only bag and waited for Alistair, who likewise took his stuff. The two were out walking up the isle within seconds.

"Dude, what should we do first?" Ashton asked, excited.

"How about we get our bearings first, alright?" Alistair answered with a smile.

The pair thanked the stewardess and the pilots.

"Great flight guys!" Ibkis said. "Blew me away!"

One of them, a blond-haired man with a square jaw chuckled. "Just doing our job!"

Unlike on Mobius, the docking tunnel was a transparent one. Ashton stepped onto it and felt a bit of discomfort looking below him to see the planet beneath his shoes. A large stretch of land was below him. He wasn't sure whether it was New York or not. It was too far away to tell.

Alistair stood next to him admiring the view. The station's exterior had many enclosed walkways and advertisements for various products. It seemed so strange to have this stuff floating out in space. Ashton enjoyed every second here.

"You know man, we could stay out here forever."

Alistair said, "_You _could, but _me_? I think I'm looking for a drink. I wonder if the Humans drink beer."

"I think we'll be exploring this station before anything else."

"You have a point. Let's not waste time then."

The two Mobians , now new friends, went through the door at the end of the hall, and got their first taste of an Earth Welcome.


	3. Chapter 2: Rassalov Station

Chapter 2: Rassalov Station

Ashton and Alistair did not expect what was on the other side of the door. They saw videos of what space stations looked like. They expected it to be covered with computers and equipment with people wearing uniforms everywhere. Instead, they seemed to enter something that resembled a flight lounge. Music was blasting over the speakers, and the sounds of thousands of people filled their ears.

"Wow!" Ibkis said with a smile forming over his face. "This is _awesome_!" His tail started to whip about in excitement. "I've never seen so many people in one place!"

"I've never seen this many Humans before in my life." Ashton said with a chuckle. Within his view, there must have been over a thousand Humans wearing dozens of different styles of clothing speaking in different languages and going to different locations. As he moved out of the tunnel, he started to look around while his ears perked and listened to sounds they had never heard before. He saw a lady wearing what looked like a dress with rings floating in and out of her shoulders in holographic form. He a man wearing a suit with a jacket that went down to his knees. He saw people wearing what he thought were old fedoras, and he saw people wearing baseball caps and denim jackets. So many people. So many styles! So many Humans!

He had no idea what to do first. That's when his stomach reminded him.

"Oh man! I guess skipping breakfast was a bad idea." He touched his stomach. "You hungry man?"

"Funny you should mention it. I am due for a refill. Let's find some food."

Ashton nodded, but looked all around him. "Um… that shouldn't be hard… should it?"

Well, it wasn't as easy as he was making it out to be. It seemed so simple here in the flight lounge, but it was clear that gazing through the interior windows, there were whole _building_ outside of this area and even a street! It looked like there was a whole neighborhood that was inside this space station.

"Yeah… not hard at all."

"Excuse me boys! Gentlemen! You two just come in on the shuttle?"

The two turned to look at the source of the noise. A short Human standing next to a counter waved them over. He wore a simple T-shirt, dark pants, and had a nice thick mustache.

Ashton naturally looked behind him and then pointed to himself. _Who, us_?

"Will you two just get over here!" the man said.

Ashton looked at Alistair who shrugged. The two made their way across the lounge to speak to the man. His counter was filled with what looked like small discs.

"You two new here?"

"How could you tell?" Ibkis asked. "Because we're Mobians?"

"What? Nah. Don't think I'm just picking you out. I've seen dozens of people like you come across that tunnel over the last couple of days. They seem to know what they're doing. Many of them were Marines just to make a connecting flight to the other Inner Colonies." He leaned on his table. "You two on the other hand look like you're staying for a bit longer."

"Yeah." Ibkis said. "We're heading to Earth."

"Well now! That is a pleasant surprise! Allow me to introduce myself then!" He smiled widely. "My name is Giancarlo Vassini. You two can call me Johnny, and I am your unofficial greeter to Rassalov Station, and Earth!"

"Thank you very much, sir." Ashton said smiling. "Nice to see a friendly face."

"Likewise, young man, likewise!"

Ibkis seemed to be catching wise though, "So, Johnny… what are you selling?"

Vassini raised an eyebrow and said to Alistair, "Ah, you're sharp! Yes indeed, I do have something to offer you gentlemen! As I said before, I was your unofficial greeter, but I can't actually help you get to know your way around the station and guided tours are expensive. So… I have in my possession Dumb AI guides that are programmed to help you find your way around the station."

"Dumb AI?" Ashton asked. "Why call them that?"

"Ah, allow me to explain: that wasn't an insult. AIs designed by Humans have two classifications – Smart and Dumb. Smart AIs are capable of advanced thought that far exceed that of any Human being who's not, say, your average hyper-genius. They essentially can keep learning new things and desire more. Ask a Smart AI anything, and they can answer it. The station's superintendant is a Smart AI."

"Wow. That sounds neat!" Ibkis said.

"Yeah. Dumb AIs though are a bit different though."

"Uh oh." Ashton said. "In what way?"

"Well, not a bad way. Dumb AIs are typically designed for a single purpose. Now, they are also incredibly intelligent, but they are used for single types of purposes."

Ashton started to piece it together. "So these AIs are only used for one purpose?"

"Right. These AIs are as smart as your average MENSA member. They can answer anything you want to ask them, but as long as it only has to do with Rassalov Station, and other general stuff."

"Well, how much does it cost?"

"Before I tell you that, it's better to refer to your AIs by gender. They aren't your average computer program. They have personality and identity."

"OK. Sure. So…" Christopher looked at the table and selected one at random. "How much does _she_ cost?"

"Ah! That would be Betty! She's a particularly friendly one! Standard tour AI would cost you somewhere around 150 Credits. You also get to keep the AI too! So, if you can reprogram her, you can have her do other stuff as well."

"Credits… I don't think I have any of those." Ashton said patting his pockets. He looked to Alistair. "You didn't happen to bring any Credits?"

"Didn't know anything about them." He said.

Vassini laughed gently. "But you had to have come here somehow! You have some sort of currency on you."

"Well, we have Mobian Dollars. Not sure if I could use them at all."

"Actually, that is just fine with me. Government has authorized a 1:1 trading of your currency with ours, and since this is a travel hub, we've got so many currencies coming in. Just pay in your… uh… Mobian Dollars, right? Then we'll just call them credits anyway."

"These aren't electronic?"

"Nope. Physical will work just fine."

Ashton thought that it would be neat to have a guide that would help him through the station. He thought that since he would be here for a while, he would want someone to help. A computer companion would be the perfect choice. "I'll take it." He reached into his pocket to grab his wallet to pay. He was sure his parents would understand. He counted off a hundred and fifty Mobian dollars and handed them to Vassini. Ibkis still had a look of disbelief.

"I know what you're thinking, you know." The merchant said. "I can assure you that I get my supplies from reputable suppliers and all of my products have to be approved to be sold. Merchant guild's rules. One more thing?"

"Sure thing."

"Get the rest of your currency exchanged. There should be a customs office on the station somewhere."

"Any directions?"

Vassini smiled. "Well, why not ask Betty?"

Ashton smiled. "Sounds like fun!"

"So where are you to heading, specifically?"

Ashton was handed the AI. It looked like a disk that was about ten centimeters in diameter and about five centimeters thick. He was mesmerized for a second. "Hmm? Oh! I'm heading to New York City."

"And you, my friend?" He addressed Alistair.

"I'm heading for Toronto." The raccoon said. "I'm going to go live with a cousin."

"Well. Best of luck to both of you. Take some time to get to know Rassalov Station. Believe you me – You'll want to get started here."

"Thanks Johnny."

"Not to worry boys. Not to worry. Just keep your eyes open. Now, go out there and give her a try!"

They thanked Giancarlo and left the flight lounge. Ashton flipped the disc over in his hands still curiously. "Can't believe this whole thing is a computer."

"A computer with personality!" Ibkis said in wonder. "Man, if our parents could see us now. AIs."

The entirety of Mobian society was a bit skittish of robots after the coup back in '25. Autonomous robots were looked upon with suspicion.

"Guess I can turn her on now. We may need her help." Ashton reasoned. He found the only button on the disc and pressed it. Light came from the top of the disc so quickly that the startled lab almost dropped it in shock. "What do I do?"

"You don't have to do anything." A voice came from the air. Ashton looked around trying to see where it came from, but he realized that the voice was coming _from the disc_.

Cyan light glowed in a ring and eventually rose through some unknown means. Before his very eyes, a woman formed from nothing but thin air. She wore clothing that made her look like an old sea-ship's captain. A compass hung from her belt and she wore a tricone on her head. Christopher was shocked. "Wow. Look at that."

"It's a girl!" Alistair said, now incredibly interested. "A Human girl!"

The AI looked at both of them and then smiled.

The boys chuckled, impressed by the emotion. "Oh _wow_." Ashton said.

Then, she spoke. "Well, here's something I wasn't expecting! Looks like I've stepped into a comic book!"

"Are you Betty?"

"That's my name!" She took off her tricone and bowed. "My official designation is C-AI-87114-21. Three guesses why I use 'Betty' instead."

Ibkis raised an eyebrow. "Do all AIs have a sense of humor?"

"Not all of us, You two got lucky!" She crossed her arms. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what can I call you two?"

Ashton answered first. "My name is Christopher Ashton. Everyone just calls me Ashton."

"Ashton. Nice name. What's yours?"

"Alistair Ibkis."

"Reason I ask is so I can remember who you are every time you boot me up."

Ashton's ears dipped slightly. "You won't remember us?"

"I'm an AI model that has memory sacrificed for functionality. I'll remember you when I can identify you though."

"Sounds good to me." Ashton shrugged.

"So, what can I help you two with? Would you like a tour of the station?"

Ashton looked to Ibkis. "What do you say? We're going to be here a while. Want to explore?"

His friend nodded. "Sure. I'm going to be doing more of this anyway!"

"Give us the tour Betty!"

The AI nodded enthusiastically. "Alright gentlemen! Let's begin!" She snatched her compass from her belt and opened it up. The holographic needle spun around, but it pointed straight out the door. "Head this direction and we can begin. I'll take you to the Torus."

* * *

Ashton and Ibkis, guided by Betty, emerged out of the building into what appeared to be a sunlit road. The two stunned Mobians moved their heads around trying to make sense of it all. The road seemed to curve around. Trams moved around silently powered by electricity. Trees dotted what looked like real grass. In the distance against the far wall, a monument was erected. A small fountain dribbled over the carved rock.

Betty noted their wonder. "You two aren't from around here, are you?"

"No we're not." Alistair said, half stunned. "It's just… so beautiful."

"It was one of the first things that we made sure to include in the station itself. Rassalov Station was originally constructed in 2654 after the Human-Covenant war."

"What's the Human-Covenant war?" Ashton asked, ear cocked inquisitively.

Betty stood with arms behind her back. "A twenty-eight year conflict raging from 2525 to 2553 that encompassed a large part of Human civilization. The Covenant menace battled Humanity back to Earth where it fought and prevailed against the threat, at the cost of thirty billion lives."

"That's horrible!"

"Even more so that the Covenant initiated the genocide. I'm sorry, but I don't have much more on that subject."

"That's alright." Christopher shrugged. "Tell me about the station itself."

The pair walked up to the fountain. The gentle streaming of water tricked down the memorial as birds chirped in the background. A carved globe with two starships curving over the horizon was beneath 'RASSALOV STATION – A BEACON OF FORTITUDE IN A TIME OF DARKNESS'

"The station was constructed on July 14th, 2654 as a dedication to the man who conceived of its construction, Ilea Rassalov before he died three months into its construction. The station was completed a bit over 100 years after the war had ended. The original station was a Torus that rotated and used Centrifugal force to simulate artificial gravity. The station was staffed with scientists, medical personnel and civilians. It acted as one of Earth's first orbital colonies following the war. It orbits approximately 10,000 kilometers away from the Karmen Line – the agreed upon boundary of Outer Space from Earth's surface."

Christopher touched the memorial and let the water flow between his fingers. It seemed like such an incredible thing to have a city in space.

"The original Torus, which is near the core of the Station is roughly three kilometers in diameter. The current Torus which you are standing in now has a radius of approximately fifteen kilometers." Betty's hologram vanished and was replaced by a representation of Rassalov Station. "This Torus was built in 2804 as part of the continued expansion project that has been a focus of Rassalov. The area where we are standing in is Memorial Garden, a public park area where we feature some of the wildlife aboard the station."

"Wildlife?" Ibkis said, finding a bench and sitting down. "How can you have animals aboard a space station?"

"Well, the answer to that is the same as supporting a Human population aboard the station, mister Ibkis: proper housing, environmental control, and space to roam in. You've probably noticed a lot of birds around here. One of Rassalov Station's most populous species of bird is the finch. We have twelve different varieties that are present aboard the station. They make their home in the trees around here, plus artificial birdhouses. They do make a habit of making nests in the structural rafters."

Ashton looked around the park and breathed in the air. It tasted fresh. He spotted one of the finches perched on a branch of a nearby tree chattering to itself."Any land animals?"

"Mostly domestic. Residents are allowed to own animals like cats, dogs, feren, ullim, and as of recently, ghertinmin."

"Ah… we're from Mobius. We don't know what any of those things are…"

"Sorry, but I have no data on that."

Ashton's tail wagged once at the thought of teaching an AI something. "It's in another universe."

"You know, I've been hearing about that for the last couple of weeks! It must be rather exciting to see something that's similar, yet different."

"I wouldn't know anything about that." Ashton admitted.

"I think you two just switched places." Alistair chuckled.

The AI smiled, but didn't say anything at first. "This area of the Torus doesn't have any commercial or residential sections. You may have seen some of them on the edge of the Torus when you came in. There isn't much more to see besides that. You could spend hours in here though."

Ashton decided that they could look around in this area another time. He asked Betty about where the customs exchange.

"Something like that would be in the commercial portion of the Torus. From there, you can get to hundreds of modules. Customs would be in there. Would you prefer to walk or ride?"

Ibkis gave a smile. "Somedays you've gotta ride."

"Trams arrive every five minutes. As a matter of fact…"

An automated car came around the curve and stopped near where they were.

"Come on, hurry!" Ashton shouted.

The pair, with Betty in tow ran towards the tram. They nearly ran into a group of Humans waiting to board. Some of them turned their heads as they approached out of breath. One held the door open for them.

"Thanks." Ashton and Alistair said at the same time.

The Human nodded his head wordlessly. They took it as a sign of 'you're welcome'.

Other Humans looked at them as the two Mobians got into place. Betty was quiet the whole time. She was presumably polite in not speaking out loud. The boys were actually quite comfortable with the ride. The tram coasted along the green lawn of the Torus and passed small shops and even an artificial lake that lapped against the far wall.

"You know, forget Earth. This place seems nice enough!" Ibkis said.

"Nah. Space seems so… dangerous. The only thing protecting us is the hull."

"Anybody ever tell you that you're a killjoy?"

"You're the first."

* * *

For about five minutes, the tram coasted along the edge of the ring. People flashed by in blurs so quick that Ashton couldn't see them all. Betty just stood at attention patiently waiting. Some of the Humans shot him odd glances every now and again.

"Excuse me… could you…" someone said behind him. "Could you please… sir…"

Ashton turned around and realized his tail had been swishing – right into the face of a passenger. His glasses were hanging off his ear and he was speaking between thwacks. "Oh man!" Ashton said quickly stopping. "I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm OK." The man said simply and fixed his glasses.

"You sure?"

"Just keep your… tail… under control."

There was a second of discomfort among the tram. Alistair stretched and said, "I think this is our stop."

"It is?" The lab asked, confused.

"Sure is. Come on, Christopher…"

The tram slowed down at once and as soon as the doors opened, the two Mobians quickly exited the vehicle and began to walk. The tram started to move once more and soon disappeared beyond the curve. Neither spoke for a second, but then Ashton spoke up.

"Hey, I couldn't control it."

"I know. I just don't think our friend did." Alistair replied.

"No comment." Betty said snappily.

"So, we have no train." Ashton said. "We have to walk on foot. You said we were in the residential section. Can we get to the Commercial Section on foot?"

"Sure you can." Betty nodded. She unclipped her compass once more and it wobbled slightly. "Keep on walking this way and then you'll hit a bulkhead. There is pedestrian access somewhere around there, so you should just be able to cross on over into the next section of the Torus. Word to the wise though, that bulkhead will seal if there's a threat to the station's hull integrity. So make sure you're on the side you want to be on.

The walk was long. Though it took about twenty or so minutes of a slow pace, they all enjoyed the feeling of being 'outdoors' and they all learned something about one another. Ashton learned more about Alistair, which he thought was a refreshing change of pace. Ibkis was born in Mobotropolis before the war began, so he was one of the people that had to evacuate the city following Robotnik's coup.

"You know, he played us. Right under our noses. I was a teenager when it all began, but I was still able to think about these sort of things. I wanted to hurt him for all he did."

"So why not join the army then?"

"Because I didn't want to die either; throw my life away for something that could amount to nothing. I wanted to live life. Not end it. That's why I'm out here. I have a chance to live and let live."

Ashton came to respect Alistair a whole lot more in this short period of time. Betty chose to stay quiet. Perhaps she was gathering more information on them as time went by. She really only spoke when spoken to. She was either polite, or didn't have the programming for a lot of things. Eventually the pair came to a bridge that connected the grassy mainland to the metallic bulkhead. They got a good view of deep blue water beneath them that flowed like a river.

"Wow. Look at that water. Is it drinkable?"

Betty placed a hand behind her back and recited from her memory. "The station contains enough drinking water to supply a population of about one hundred thousand people and it goes through several purification procedures in the Residential and Commercial section of the Torus. So, you never really see the process publically. The end result though is this water. This deep blue liquid that averages approximately 5 degrees Celsius provides excellent nutrition for the flora, a playground for animals, and if you really wanted to, you could drink from it."

"No kidding." Ashton said.

"No kidding. Seriously, you could lap that up right now."

"I've already seen one section and I'm hooked already." Ibkis said leaning against the bridge railing. "Maybe I'm coasting off the fact that there is a freaking city in outer space, but this is amazing."

"Wait until we see the rest of the place until we give an opinion." Christopher advised.

A young lady and her child passed by the boys. The child saw the Mobians and raised her finger in excitement. "Look mommy! Mommy! A doggy and raccoon! See them Mommy?"

The mother glanced at the boys with angular sunglasses. "Come on, Maddie. Those aren't a doggy and a raccoon! They're aliens. They probably don't even speak English."

Ibkis smiled. "Cute kid, ma'am."

The mother tugged her daughter's hand quickly and walked away chattering to her intensely.

The raccoon smirked. "Milestone number 2. We have successfully encountered our first racist."

Betty said, "Rassalov has always had a history with racism. After the Human-Covenant War, a lot of Humanity was divided on the idea of a friendly race of extraterrestrial beings. Humans were skittish and thought that the whole galaxy may have been out to get them. In recent centuries this trend has been in a sharp decline, but a few stubborn people remain. There were many people who passed me up since I was an AI and not a real physical person."

"But you are a person." Ashton responde.

Betty glowed pink for a second. "Thank you, Christopher."

"Ashton, please."

Betty nodded and fixed her cap. "Thanks Ashton. Now come on, you two sea-dogs. Commercial sector's right beyond this doorway. Less jabbering and more exploring!"

The pair made their way to the bulkhead, which was cleverly disguised as a large rock. The area where the tram crossed the sections seemed to be some sort of tunnel in the rock. A smaller tunnel was on either side where pedestrians seemed to be able to cross. Ashton made a joke about spelunking, which made Alistair smile. As the two exploring Mobians entered the tunnel on the left, closest to the wall of the Torus, the sounds of the birds, wind, and the water disappeared. Instead, music seemed to filter through speakers in the rock.

Ashton's ears danced as it caught the rhythm. It sounded organic, but at the same time, it had guitars strumming in the background. At least, he assumed that Humans used guitars. As if to answer his question, the song ended and another began. Rapid drum beats entered his ears and then a chorus began with guitars backed up by a vocal. What made Christopher's ears perk was the fact that he _recognized_ this song! It was "Suspicious Minds"! He had heard this song many times growing up in Knothole, but it was performed by a different band.

"Human music sounds the same as ours." Alistair said.

"Our music _is_ Human music." Ashton said in realization.

The raccoon shook his head in dismay. "This is confusing, man. I'm just going to roll with it."

They came to a door marked like an airlock. "This is the door to the Commercial Sector." Betty announced. "You'll pass through an airlock, so be patient."

It was exactly as she said. The boys stepped into the airlock. Grey padded walls surrounded them. A tunnel coated in similar material hovered in the center. Ashton and Alistair waited patiently observing the walls themselves.

"Insulating and self-sealing material." The AI explained. "For micrometeorites and other hull breaches. The entire Torus has them. The airlock has finished cycling. Go on through."

The boys nodded in understanding and made their way into the commercial section.

* * *

Hundreds of voices began at once the minute the doors parted. The lighting was different and the air was thick with noise and emotions. The space before them was a wide road with every available space filled with an advertisement or a kiosk. Commercial was a far-cry from the Park. Here, commerce was almost palpable. As a matter of fact, the second that the pair entered Commercial, flying robots headed towards them. Ashton and Ibkis' first reaction was fear. The robots surrounded them flashing advertisements and speaking about sales.

"Shoo!" Ibkis said. "Leave!"

This reaction was to be expected. Back on Mobius, robots were generally seen as bad news. Since Robotnik was the biggest threat to the Mobian people, and since most of his agents were machines, it was easy to see why the two would be skittish.

"_Only today, when you stop by Sharp's Starship Parts, will you be able to claim our 30% off guarantee!_"

"_Crazy Izham's deals are downright INSANE! We're offering you fifty percent off anything in the store! ANYTHING! HA HA!_"

"_It's times when you can claim our two for one deal on only the finest shoes that make you think, 'Wow, I'm glad I stopped at Sole Mate'_!"

"We're not interested!" Betty shouted. At once, the robots turned tail and scurried away to bother other unsuspecting citizens. She turned to see the Mobians with ears folded and with hands covering their faces. "Not much for advertisements either, are you?"

"Our…" Alistair said, glancing to see if the robots were gone. "Our culture has some… distrust for robots that act on their own."

"Does that include me?" Betty asked, suddenly looking somewhat angry. "Do you have… distrust for me?"

"Don't take it personally." Ashton said quickly on damage control. "We've never seen a true AI with true personality before!"

It seemed to work. Betty's angry blue sheen was replaced with a bright green one. "Oh, thank you! Would you like to know more about this area?"

"Tell us as we walk." Ashton decided. He soon discovered he was much happier with that decision as he began to explore this new world with Alistair. A few shops waved him in. He saw here that not everybody who lived on Rassalov Station was a Human. The most peculiar creatures he saw in this part of the station. There were aliens taller than he was with two pairs of arms. It looked terrifying, but spoke with a calm voice that assured him he meant no harm. He saw squat creatures with packs on their backs and strange respirators over their mouths.

"Those are Unggoy." Betty announced. "Some people call them 'Grunts'. Watch them around here. Some are expert pickpockets.

Some aliens that looked like birds followed. Betty called these things Kig Yar or 'Jackals' as Humans called them. The reason behind this was clear. Ibkis pointed out a stall manned by such an alien. The shop was titled 'Starmaps to Treasure', except the last 'E' was missing.

"Hey you!" One called. "You wanna map? Map bring you treasure, _sey_?"

"No thank you." Christopher said.

But the Jackals didn't relent. One of them ran up to Ashton. "I gotta lotta maps, _sey_! I see your kind not before! You new on Human station! I sell you finest maps! I get lotta rich from maps!"

Alistair shot, "From the treasure, or from the chumps buying them?"

The alien backed off and clicked its beak. "Ohohoh, you not Kig-Yar enough for maps! You get away! No business with me!"

"Never had it to begin with."

"_Chok-bak yon keyechk! Yanesh!_" The Jackal swore in its own language and turned to its companion and continued to gesticulate wildly.

"Making friends already." Ashton noted.

"You'll thank me later when we still have a few bucks in our pocket. And speaking of which…" He craned his head over his back. "Can I _help_ you sir?"

Ashton turned to look. One of the squat Unggoy had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It held a claw not far from Alistair's back pocket. Its eyes darted from the pocket to the Mobian's eyes and suddenly a puff of green-tinted methane escaped the mask. "Whaa… oh, me?" it spoke in a high-pitched voice.

"Yeah, you. _Can I help you_?" Alistair repeated.

The alien sheepishly withdrew its hand and twiddled its fingers. "Ah… hah-hah… I, no I was just going."

"It seems that way." Ashton added.

"Aha… sure. Right." It began to back away in embarrassment. "Have a good day!"

"Get outta here!" Alistair said raising his voice.

The Grunt yelped in surprise. It tripped over its own feet, but then ran around a corner out of sight.

"Ah Unggoy." Betty said shaking her head. "Comic relief of the universe. You got lucky, Alistair." She crossed her arms and adopted an intelligent stance. "He was green. If that were a professional, your money would have been long gone and scattered all over the commerce grid."

"Just as well." The raccoon said. "Never leave my wallet in my back pocket anyway." He tapped his pants front. "Always in the front."

"Interesting choice."

"Common sense, Betty."

Ashton smiled, "You'll make a decent adventurer yet, Al!"

* * *

The Customs building wasn't hard to find. At Betty's insistence, the Mobians were able to locate directories. According to Betty, Commercial was divided into three neighborhoods: Amberly Court, the Rassalov Financial District, and Contessa Plaza. By far, this was the fattest of the parts of the Torus. Large sections of the neighborhood had been expanded as the years rolled by and it was the go-to spot for arrivals if they wanted to either make money, spend it, or find out more about the planet.

The boys emerged in the Financial District fairly quickly. Government buildings were easy to locate. They bore the symbol of the station – an R with Earth in the background. Buildings stretched through the ceiling where they extended into space. Some parts of the roof had skylights where they could see the buildings with office lights winking in the dark of space.

It took a bit more time of searching around. Contrary to what they saw coming in on the shuttle, this station was big. Many of the residents worked in this part of the station. There was a police bureau, a hospital, but finally they found it. The hardest task that the Mobians had faced… was looking for the customs building.

Compared to the other buildings, customs was smaller and not as extravagant. Maybe it was a reflection of the job in some way.

"Doesn't look like it was worth all the trouble." Ibkis noted.

"Want to wander around Earth with no legal currency?"

"On second thought…" the raccoon said.

"It's easy – the center is automated." Betty said. "There are a few Human attendants. Go inside and we'll see what we have to do."

The pair made their way through the crowds of people that went back and forth on the sidewalk until they reached the door, which slid open with a puff of air. The office was rather small, keeping to the size of the building. A few people were standing in line to receive money.

"Look, there's a Human attendant here." Ashton pointed out. A Human sat behind a table reading a book. He wore what looked like an official uniform. Ashton walked up to the desk.

"Hello, sir." He smiled and waited for the response.

The customs officer looked up from his book and raised his eyebrows. "Oh! Hello there!" He looked the Mobians over. "Well, you're new! Um… sorry. I don't think I've seen your people here before."

"We are new, yes. My name is Christopher Ashton. I'd like to exchange some money."

"Christopher Ashton?" The customs officer repeated, looking confused. "That's your name?"

"Yes." The Mobian lab said starting to get confused himself. "That's my name."

"No kidding. Sorry, I wasn't expecting a Human name. You said you wanted to exchange money?"

"Yes sir. I was told there was a 1:1 exchange rate for our money?"

"Depends. What is your money?" The officer asked leaning forward ready to enter the information into his computer.

"Mobian dollars."

"Mobian…" the Human repeated. "Ah! Here we are! Looks like the order came in about a month ago. Yeah, looks like we can offer you an exchange. Your currency isn't quite accepted by the UEG yet as legal tender, but if you exchange to Credits, you can use those instead."

"I'll take it!" Ashton said in satisfaction.

"How much would you like to exchange?"

"9,850 Mobian Dollars." Ashton said, mentally subtracting the money from Betty's purchase. He pulled out the notes and handed them across the table. The customs officer scooped them up and counted them.

"It's weird, seeing new money." The Human said. "New cultures, new races, new faces… you aren't aliens really. You look like animals…"

"But we aren't." Ibkis stepped in. "We've evolved to the point where we are people. We think and act and even stand on two legs like you."

The customs officer clearly noted his choice of words. "Not trying to start anything. Just making an observation. Alright, that looks good. I can give you physical credits, or a chip."

"What's the difference?" Ashton questioned.

"Physical credits are pretty much what you gave me. Bills, notes, and change. Good if you actually want to hold your cash. Chips on the other hand are stored on a single card. Since you have close to ten thousand creds on file, you're better off taking the card. In my opinion."

Ashton decided to do as the officer suggested, and received a card a minute later with his name printed onto it.

"Card is coated with your identification, has infrared scanning strips, holographic markers, and even a biometrics handprint. The strip on the back is nano-layered. This card is tough to crack. You hang onto that now, and think of a number to enter into it."

Ashton placed his card into a scanner while Alistair made his own exchange. He thought before a blank screen what to imprint on the card. He made a choice with four numbers – 3213 – the year of his birth. The scanner glowed green and released the card.

He now had funds. It made him giddy to think of it. He was ten thousand credits richer.

He waited for Alistair to finish his own transaction.

"Now… if you don't mind my asking," the officer began, "Nobody drops that much cash and just passes through. Are you going to be staying with us, Mister Ashton and Mister Ibkis?"

"We're both heading to Earth." Ashton said.

"You'll both have a place to stay, I presume?"

Alistair said, "I'm staying with my cousin in Toronto."

Ashton on the other hand was slower with the response. "Um… I don't have a place."

"What?" Ibkis said in surprise. "You didn't think that part through?"

The officer hummed. "Hmm. Better get on that then. No point in living on Earth without a place to live. For the time being, find a hotel and stay there. Make your connections and get it done. Excuse me; I have to get to the rest of the line.

Ashton walked out of the customs office feeling like a complete and total idiot. Out of everything he could have planned for, he forgot the roof over his head.

"Oh well." He said, repeating the customs officer's words. "Better get on that then."


End file.
